Kavassery (Kerala): Frenzied mass participation characterises annual temple festivals in Kerala that invariably include colourful processions of richly caparisoned elephants and panchavadyam (orchestra) by a combination of percussion instruments. Other highlights of the February-May festivals - known as pooram, arattu, vela or kummatti in different places - are spectacular fireworks displays at night and puja and age-old rituals in the temples that seek to provide spiritual nourishment.
Large groups of men, women and children from villages and towns trek to the venues honouring Hindu gods and goddesses, comparable to the Durga Puja in Bengal and Diwali and Dussehra in the north. The festivals have been held in hundreds of temples across Kerala for decades and create a passion among the organisers and supporters who compete among themselves to put up a great show in terms of content. The number of elephants in the processions varies from five to 50 although there used to be more than 100 of them in the pooram at Arattupuzha, near Thrissur in central Kerala, in earlier years.
The grandest festival takes place in Thrissur town. Said to have been inaugurated in 1798 by the local Raja to end infighting between two major Hindu temples, the Thrissur pooram is the main event in Kerala's cultural calendar, drawing tens of thousands of Indians and foreign tourists. The 36-hour "mother of all poorams" is a riot of rhythm, elephant processions and fireworks.
The Paramekkavu Bhagavathi temple and the Thiruvambadi Sreekrishna temple hold the festival
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